by Lillian B. and Jake T.

Afraid of shots or needles? Have questions about protecting your health? Get excited to learn with us this National Immunization Awareness Month!

Primarily, immunizations are most effective when given to us as children, since our bodies do not have all the necessary antibodies and cells to fight back against all types of disease and infections until we grow up or experience these illnesses for ourselves. To be specific, newborns may have many antibodies from their mothers during the first year of life, but this immunity goes away shortly after.

According to the CDC, “a vaccine is a safer substitute for a child’s first exposure to a disease”. For example, the smallpox disease spread like wildfire and was extremely harmful to patients, even killing them. However, once a proper vaccine was created under thorough research and data, the disease was the first to be effectively eradicated outside of laboratories due to vaccine adherence and immunization awareness. Smallpox went from killing thousands of people to not even hindering hundreds in a matter of years, with a global vaccination campaign in 1977 to lead the efforts.

Are you looking for more information on vaccines or health in general? There are several medical and health databases accessible from the Free Library with your library card, including the following two that are particularly easy to use, reliable, and were developed by Philadelphians!

MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus is produced by the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, which is part of the National Institute of Health. All content is available in English and Spanish. In addition, there is a special collection of popular topics available in multiple languages and at an easy-to-read level.

MedlinePlus has the following separately searchable sections: health topics, genetics, drugs and supplements, clinical trials, latest research, medical tools, and videos. The information is sourced from over 1600 selected organizations, including the Mayo Clinic, and government agencies.

One of the original developers of MedlinePlus was a clinical medical librarian from Philadelphia.
 

KidsHealth
One of the most visited websites for doctor-reviewed advice and information about health and related subjects. Ages covered include before birth through the teen years.

This database has sections for parents, educators, teens, and kids. Content is available in English and Spanish. All content is reviewed by KidsHealth Panel of Expert Reviewers. The articles, slideshows, health tools, animations, and videos are created by a carefully selected group of physicians, editors, and designers.

KidsHealth, from Delaware’s Nemours Children’s Health System, was first developed in 1995 by Dr. Neil Izenberg, MD, a Philadelphia-trained pediatrician.

Vaccinations have saved millions of lives throughout history! Do you still need your COVID-19 vaccine? Several Free Library locations are serving as vaccination clinics!
Find a location near you today »